What I chose to focus upon is critical to what I'm trying to accomplish and convey.

I realized in all my thinking and analyzing last month I hadn't stopped and really focused on all that I did--all that God did in me. Missing that one key ingredient totally skewed how I felt, responded and thought about the upcoming year.

It's time for me to go back and see all that God did in me last year. It's time to celebrate those things. It's time to remember all God has done for me and remember He's brought me this far. He'll carry me through 2012 too.

It's time to focus on God's faithfulness, not my feelings.That's where the truth is.

Me too, Jess! And although I looked back, I analyzed and didn't take time to really SEE what God had done and what I'd accomplished with and through Him so I missed that faith boosting. Really missed it!

No, I still haven't found the Ebenezer stone I carried in my pocket and I'm so bummed. Just last week one of the boys came out asking if someone has lost a special stone...I was so excited, hoping it was mine. But it wasn't. It was his older brother's. Maybe it'll turn up, but... I DO have other stones from that trip. Picking another is a good idea. =]

This was uplifting to read. We need to celebrate our progress, to take time to be grateful for the journey that we've been on and all that we receive. I believe that as you focus on those things the next step(s) will appear in a wonderful way.

Yes Patty... I love your post and I love looking back. It seems when I am hardest on myself and feel like I am failing, I can look back and see God's fingerprints all over my life, which encourages me to move forward and trust Him! Thank you for sharing today!

I'm a little late to this post, just found your blog and was checking it out to include in a list when I found this post. It was just what I needed to hear (read). I often get overwhelmed because I don't get everything done I think I should. I don't heal as fast as I think I should, you get the idea. But, thanks to you I'll remember to focus on how far I've come in the healing area, and how much I have completed. Going to make a card to post on the refrigerator to remind me. Thanks. ~Nita

Since Patty quit running from God's call on her life and surrendered her pen to Him, she's been happy. Life is never dull as she juggles being a wife, mom to a handful of kids and a couple of Capuchin monkeys, life on the road, and being a writer. As long as she's obeying God's leading, she figures that sanity is a novelty and not a necessity in the zoo she lives in. Patty clings to the promise that God will enable her to do what He asks of her, otherwise she would be living with the scaredy cats at the Funny Farm and not just occasionally visiting. You can find her on Instagram, too, where she daily sneaks in a few sane moments.